It's not uncommon for a husband and wife to take up a hobby together. Bowling, remodeling your home, even garage sale hunting are popular pass times for pairs yearning for more one-on-one time. However, those just wouldn't do for Lisa and John Trump. On a typical Saturday night, they can be found in a distraught stranger's basement or attic searching for ghosts and other things that go bump in the night. They are paranormal investigators. "It's bonded us more," says Lisa. "It really has brought us closer. It has been a real positive thing in our lives." And, at times, a frightening one.

Advertisement

Lisa, who works at the University of Cincinnati Health Services, and John, a materials facilitator at General Electric, began working weekends for PINK or Paranormal Investigators of Northern Kentucky in 2011. Though getting involved with this kind of work wasn't an easy sell for natural skeptic John. "I talked him into joining the team," she admits. "But he has an open mind and admits there are things you can't explain."

For Lisa, there is no question that spirits exist among us. From a very early age she could sense when something was near and even see dead people - very helpful skills for an investigator. "My first experience was at 16," she reveals. "I woke up at two in the morning and a female was standing at the foot of my bed looking at me. I told my mom but she thought I was dreaming." Several other instances happened, but they didn't try to communicate with her, but rather just stared at her. However, it was something Lisa kept to herself, unsure how people would react.

Things only intensified after she married and moved into the home she shares with John. "There were events in this house that scared me so bad I spent the night in prayer," she explains. "One night, I was laying in bed and felt uneasy. I looked up and saw a shadow in the ceiling that looked out of place. I'm watching it and it moved across the room directly over me. Our Jack Russell Terrier was looking at it too with his teeth bared and growling. As it hovered over me, then suddenly condensed to the size of a basketball and shot out the door. Our dog stayed by my side growling for hours."

Though the most memorable was in 1998 when John was battling cancer. "He was very sick at the time," she recalls. "I woke up to see a child that looked like an angel. John asked if I thought it meant he was going to die. I said no. That it felt like an energy here to help you. When the doctors told us John was out of the woods, I saw the child again. It looked like it was walking aways, as if to say, 'You don't need me anymore.' That pivotal moment pushed me to figure out that this thing, this ability I had was."

At that point, Lisa began reading everything she could about the paranormal and people who had the ability to communicate with spirits. When reality TV shows started to appear with ghost hunters and mediums, she finally felt like she wasn't alone, that there were others with this unique and often isolating ability.

Her most important tool when dealing with these entities. Faith and prayer. "Ghosts have a will of their own," she explains. "We can't force them to leave. They have to want to go. Somethings we have to teach the client how to deal with it. We have to have a bravado that we are in control." In the past few years, she and John have worked on many "dark" cases including some involving children who had scratches on their bodies from a particularly aggressive entity.

Though the scariest assignment to date took place in a large, newly constructed cabin in Kings Mountain, Kentucky. Among the disturbances: loud footsteps, bangs, pictures drawn on windows 20 feet high, a woman singing, and doors slamming. The owner was so frightened that he moved out. We found out that the house that stood there before had burned down and there was a real drama there. "We taught this client to not be afraid and how to deal with it," she says. "It strengthened his faith."

There are a number of things that can cause a haunting, she explains. Something could have happened in the location, but also an individual can attract a ghost. "So many people are afraid, but ghosts are just left over humans. They have accents, humor, get cranky, some are children. We have to get over that fear and realize that it is just an extension of our lives."

Amazingly, they don't charge for their services or travel expenses, though they will take donations. Now Lisa and John are looking forward to retirement from their day jobs so they can dedicate more time to these investigations. "People need to accept that we are not alone and there is help when you ask for it," says Lisa. "The best part of our job is when a client tells us, 'I'm okay now.'"

Have you ever considered calling a paranormal investigator and if so, why?